Holy Child who chose the hearts of men
To be His favoured home
Leaving heaven’s gates for Bethlehem
God came to call His own
Now to us the highest King is born
Behold the Royal Son
Glory kneels to bind up all that’s torn
The promised one has come

Joy and pain as man He knew on earth
No place to lay His head
As a servant He embraced this world
And on a cross He bled
Having borne the deepest grief of man
He rose to heaven’s throne
Now I’m sheltered in the Father’s hand
Until He calls me home

May the gift of God amaze us still
The triumph of all time
As His child I kneel to Heaven’s will
to make His purpose mine
Though this road be scarred with trial and pain
It’s paved with lavish grace
Knowing Him will be my greatest gain
His throne my resting place

Keith and Kristyn Getty

This morning I watched an interview of Alistair Begg by a news reporter of one of the local TV stations in Cleveland. He gave a very clear, unabashed presentation of the gospel in a way that invites, as the gospel should be. You can find the link on the Truth For Life website. It’s good to be able to listen to an interview about the gospel without cringing at what the person being interviewed says….

from The Mystery of Holy Night by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

If God chooses Mary as his instrument,
if God himself want to come into this world
in the manger at Bethlehem,
that is no idyllic family affair,
but the beginning of a complete turnaround,
a reordering of everything on this earth.
If we wish to take part in the Advent and Christmas event,
then we cannot simply be bystanders or onlookers,
as if we were at the theater,
enjoying all the cheerful images.
No, we ourselves are swept up into the action there,
into this conversion of all things.
We have to play our part too on this stage,
For the spectator
is already an actor.
We cannot withdraw.

What part, then, do we play?
Pious shepherds, on bended knee?
Kings who come bearing gifts?
What sort of play is this, where Mary becomes the mother of God?
Where God enters the world in the lowliness of the manger?
The judgment of the world and its redemption—
that is taking place here.
And the Christ child in the manger is himself the one
who pronounces the judgment and the redemption of the world.
He repels the great and the powerful.
He puts down the mighty from their thrones.
He humbles the arrogant,
his arm overpowers all the proud and the strong,
he raises what is lowly and makes it great and splendid
in his compassion.
Therefore we cannot approach his manger
as if it were the cradle of any other child.
Those who wish to come to his manger
find something is happening within them.

It’s snowing again in Colorado, evidence enough that it’s time to sort out the Christmas cookie cutters, stock up on the pounds of butter, sugar and flour, and crank up the oven. It’s time to make the Christmas cookies and other delectable holiday treats!

Rebecca is hosting a Christmas Recipe Roundup and invites everyone to participate in sharing their favorite Christmas recipes. My first contribution is my favorite Gingerbread Cookie recipe. If you like a pungent, gingery cookie that is perfect for dunking into coffee or tea, this is it! This is no wimpy gingerbread cookie; it has stamina and won’t end up in the bottom of your mug. Betcha can’t eat just one!

My Favorite Gingerbread Cookie

1 cup dark molasses
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 tsp. ginger
4 tsp. cinnamon
2 1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
6 cups flour

Place the molasses, sugar, ginger and cinnamon in a double boiler over medium heat. When the sugar has melted (lost its graininess), add the baking soda and stir. When the mixture bubbles up, remove from heat. Place butter in a large mixing bowl. Add the hot molasses mixture and stir well. Let the mixture cool to about 90 degrees, then add the egg. Gradually add the flour, 1 cup at a time, while beating. The dough will be quite stiff, so use a stand mixer (I use a Kitchenaid) if you have one. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll 1/3 of the dough on lightly floured surface until about 1/4 inch thick. Cut into shapes with cookie cutters. Repeat with remaining dough. Place on baking sheets and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until firm to the touch. Bake them the shorter time if you like them a bit softer. Cool on racks.

These cookies are wonderful plain or decorated with your favorite royal icing. I make ornaments for our Christmas tree by using a straw to cut a hole into the top of the cookie before baking. Insert grosgrain ribbon, natural raffia, or rough twine (looks rustic!) to hang them on the tree. If you wrap them carefully to prevent breakage, they’ll last from year to year.

Holiday Home Scent

I posted this recipe in October, but it’s worth giving a second notice. It will fill your home with the spicy, citrusy scents of Christmas.

1 fresh lemon
1 fresh orange
3 three inch cinnamon sticks
6 bay leaves
1/4-1/2 cup whole cloves
2 quarts water

Slice the lemon and orange halves. Place in saucepan (I suggest using one that you won’t be using for other things) along with cinnamon sticks, bay leaves and cloves. Pour in the 2 quarts of water, and bring to boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer all day, adding water as needed. This mixture will last for days if you refrigerate it between uses. Just add water and reheat.

This is also a wonderful, inexpensive hostess gift. Put the lemon, orange, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, and cloves in the middle of a square sheet of clear or holiday-themed cellophane paper. Gather the paper into a pretty bunch, and tie with raffia or ribbon. You may as well include the recipe too, because they’ll want it!

Let all mortal flesh keep silence,
And with fear and trembling stand;
Ponder nothing earthly minded,
For with blessing in His hand,
Christ our God to earth descendeth,
Our full homage to demand.

King of kings, yet born of Mary,
As of old on earth He stood,
Lord of lords, in human vesture,
In the body and the blood;
He will give to all the faithful
His own self for heavenly food.

Rank on rank the host of heaven
Spreads its vanguard on the way,
As the Light of light descendeth
From the realms of endless day,
That the powers of hell may vanish
As the darkness clears away.

At His feet the six wingèd seraph,
Cherubim with sleepless eye,
Veil their faces to the presence,
As with ceaseless voice they cry:
Alleluia, Alleluia
Alleluia, Lord Most High!

Liturgy of St. James, 5th century
Adapt. by Gerard Moultrie, 1864

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name!
Bless the Lord, O my sou, and forget not all his benefits,
Who forgives all your iniquity,
Who heals all your diseases,
Who redeems your life from the pit,
Who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy.

But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting
on those who fear him,
and his righteousness to children’s children,
to those who keep his covenant and remembr to do his commandments.
The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.
Bless the Lord, O you his angels, you mighy ones who do his word,
obeying the voice of the Lord!
Bless the Lord, all his hosts, his ministers, who do his will!
Bless the Lord, all his works, in all places of his dominion.
Bless the Lord, O my soul! Psalm 103:1-5, 17-22

O God,
Thy main plan, and the end of thy will
is to make Christ glorious and beloved
in heaven
where he is now ascended,
were one day all the elect will behold his glory
and love and glorify him for ever.
Though here I love him but little,
may this be my portion at last.
In this world thou has given me a beginning,
one day it will be perfected in the realm above.
Thou hast helped me to see and know Christ,
though obscurely,
to take him, receive him,
to bless him in my heart, mouth, life.
Let me study and stand for discipline,
and all the ways of worship,
out of love for Christ, and to show my thankfulness,
to seek and know his will from love,
to hold it in love,
and daily to care for and keep this state of heart.
Thou has led me to place all my nature
and happiness
in oneness with Christ,
in having heart and mind centred only on him,
in being like him in communicating good
to others;
This is my heaven on earth,
But I need the force, energy, impulses of thy Spirit
to carry me on the way to my Jerusalem.
Here, it is my duty
to be as Christ in this world,
to do what he would do,
to live as he would live,
to walk in love and meekness;
then would he be known,
then would I have peace in death.

The Valley of Vison: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotion
Edited by Arthur Bennet

From today’s reading in Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening: Christians know that an ounce of contentment is more valuable than a ton of gold. The person wearing a threadbare coat over a good conscience has found a spiritual treasure far more desirable than any he may have lost. God’s smile and a dungeon are enough for a true heart; His frown and a palace would be hell to the trusting soul. Let the worst become worse still, let all the talents go, we have not lost our treasure, for that is above, where Christ sits at the right hand of God. In the meantime, even now the Lord makes the meek inherit the earth, and He keeps back nothing good from those whose walk is blameless.

I read that passage yesterday, and it has been running through my thoughts since then. When I awoke early this morning, there it was, among a whole mixture of thoughts. Thankfulness for my comfy bed. I can adjust its softness at the touch of a button. Smooth sheets, downy blankets and a pillow perfect for smooshing into just the right shape for my head. Heat that comes on at a pre-set time and temperature. And a loving, faithful husband next to me. All this coziness, and God’s smile too.

But what about God’s smile and a dungeon that Spurgeon wrote of? Is my heart true enough for that? We’ve known just a bit of living without the usual comforts of our life. We lived in Nepal, ministering to hippies in the early 1970s. We slept on a thin cotton ‘mattress,’ had what I call a ’squat toilet,’ and took baths out of a bucket of water heated with a heating coil. We had no refrigerator, and ate a very simple diet of mostly rice and vegetables. There were times when I said I’d trade an arm for an ice cube. Those were challenging, fruitful times. But far, very far, from a dungeon. In the years following, we’ve had personal agonies that have stretched us beyond the limit of endurance. But still, we were far from a dungeon.

Honestly, I feel pretty certain that I’ll not end up being thrown in a dungeon. But that doesn’t excuse me from having a heart true enough for that. Do I know God; am I absolutely convinced of all he reveals of himself in Jesus so that if I were to be stripped of everything and everyone but Himself, both he and I could smile? Is he enough for me?

All my sins have been forgiven;
God is merciful to me;
Faith has claimed the Savior’s promise,
Grace and pardon, full and free;
O my soul, be ever praising
For the great Redeemer’s love;
Joyous songs to Him be raising,
Unto God in heav’n above.

My account is closed forever;
Jesus Christ has paid it all;
Shed His blood my sin to cover,
Paid the price to save my soul
There is now no condemnation,
I am fully reconciled;
What a wondserful salvation,
For a sinner so defiled!

How my countless sins depressed me,
Gave me sorrow, shame and tears,
How His wrath and anger crushed me,
Filled my heart with doubts and fears;
But my soul cried out in anguish,
Called for mercy and for grace,
Jesus heard my supplication,
Granted pardon and release.

Now my soul shall live forever;
No more can the Foe condemn;
Nothing from God’s love can sever,
Peace and joy are found in Him.
Thus I journey on to heaven,
Cross death’s portals joyfully;
All my sins have been forgiven,
God is merciful to me.

Philip F. Hiller, 1767

This song has been running through my mind during the past few days. May I ever thank our eternal God with my heart and hands and voice.

Now thank we all our God, with heart and hands and voices,
Who wondrous things has done, in Whom this world rejoices;
Who from our mothers’ arms has blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.

O may this bounteous God through all our life be near us,
With ever joyful hearts and blessèd peace to cheer us;
And keep us in His grace, and guide us when perplexed;
And free us from all ills, in this world and the next!

All praise and thanks to God the Father now be given;
The Son and Him Who reigns with Them in highest Heaven;
The one eternal God, Whom earth and Heaven adore;
For thus it was, is now, and shall be evermore.

Martin Rinkart, 1636; Translated by Catherine Winkworth, 1858
Cyberhymnal gives the story behind this hymn:

Martin Rinkart, a Lu­ther­an min­is­ter, was in Eil­en­burg, Sax­o­ny, dur­ing the Thir­ty Years’ War. The walled ci­ty of Eil­en­burg saw a stea­dy stream of re­fu­gees pour through its gates. The Swed­ish ar­my sur­round­ed the ci­ty, and fa­mine and plague were ramp­ant. Eight hund­red homes were de­stroyed, and the peo­ple be­gan to per­ish. There was a tre­men­dous strain on the pas­tors who had to con­duct do­zens of fun­er­als dai­ly. Fi­nal­ly, the pas­tors, too, suc­cumbed, and Rink­art was the on­ly one left—doing 50 fun­er­als a day. When the Swedes de­mand­ed a huge ran­som, Rink­art left the safe­ty of the walls to plead for mer­cy. The Swed­ish com­mand­er, im­pressed by his faith and cour­age, low­ered his de­mands. Soon af­ter­ward, the Thir­ty Years’ War end­ed, and Rinkart wrote this hymn for a grand cel­e­bra­tion ser­vice. It is a test­a­ment to his faith that, af­ter such mis­e­ry, he was able to write a hymn of abid­ing trust and gra­ti­tude to­ward God.